News:

The Book of the Diner is well worth preserving. I only wish it had reached a broader audience when it might have mattered more. That is a testament to the blindness of our culture. If there is a future to look back from, one difficult question historians will have to ask is how we let this happen, when so many saw it coming. This site has certainly aggregated enough information and critical thinking to prove that.[/b]

Across the heart of Puerto Rico runs the Cordillera Central, a staggering mountain range that bore the force of Hurricane Maria.

In small mountain towns like Las Marias and Maricao, many people rode out the storm with friends or relatives, and it took days to cut through fallen trees and dig through the mud to see what was left of their homes. There was no way to know what they would return home to: Some houses were missing a few roof panels; others were swallowed by eight feet of mud, strewn across the mountain, gone.

It is a tedious, twisting drive up these mountains, made longer by the bulldozers and army trucks struggling to clear the way. It has been months since Maria hit, long enough to answer the question that always follows devastation like this, which isn’t when life “will return to normal,” but instead what normal has become. Power and water will not return here for months, if not longer. In the meantime, many people are living with friends or relatives, drinking from streams, and struggling to repair the things Maria took.

But while it’s easy to be overwhelmed by what has been lost, the story of these communities is in what Maria left behind: the proud, determined people who are pulling together to rebuild their lives. Communities that are tighter. Families that are stronger. There are things in these mountains Maria could not take, and that’s why Mercy Corps is there—to help Puerto Rico’s people recover, and to build better, stronger lives.

40% of India’s Thermal Power Plants Are in Water-Scarce Areas, Threatening Shutdowns

by Tianyi Luo - January 16, 2018

New WRI research finds that 40 percent of the country’s thermal power plants are located in areas facing high water stress, a problem since these plants use water for cooling. Scarce water is already hampering electricity generation in these regions—14 of India’s 20 largest thermal utilities experienced at least one shutdown due to water shortages between 2013-2016, costing the companies $1.4 billion.

It’s an issue that’s only poised to worsen unless the country takes action—70 percent of India’s thermal power plants will face high water stress by 2030 thanks to climate change and increased demands from other sectors.

Billions of Tons of Freshwater, Consumed

Thermal power—power that relies on fuels like coal, natural gas and nuclear energy—provides India with 83 percent of its total electricity. While these power plants fail to disclose how much water they’re using in their operations, WRI developed a new methodology using satellite images and other data to calculate their water use.

What's the Difference Between Water Withdrawal and Consumption?Water withdrawal: The total amount of water that is diverted from a water source (e.g. surface water, groundwater) for use.

Water consumption: The portion of water that is not returned to the original source after being withdrawn.

Much of the water withdrawn by plants is returned to the lakes and ponds from which it came, but a lot is also consumed, and not returned to its original source. We found that almost 90 percent of India’s thermal power generation depends on freshwater for cooling, and the industry is only growing thirstier. Thanks to increased energy demand and the growing popularity of freshwater-recirculating plants, which consume the most water of any thermal plant, freshwater consumption from Indian thermal utilities grew by 43 percent from 2011-2016, from 1.5 to 2.1 billion cubic meters a year.

To put this in perspective, India’s total domestic water consumption in 2010 was about 7.5 billion cubic meters, according to the Aqueduct Global Water Risk Atlas. That means power plants drank about 20 percent as much water as India’s 1.3 billion citizens use for washing dishes, bathing, drinking and more.

40 Percent of Thirsty Plants Are in Water-Stressed Areas

More than a third of India’s freshwater-dependent plants are located in areas of high or extremely high water stress. These plants have, on average, a 21 percent lower utilization rate than their counterparts located in low or medium water-stress regions—lack of water simply prevents them from running at full capacity. Even when controlling the comparison analysis by unit age, fuel type and plant capacity, the observation was always the same: Plants in low- and medium-stress areas are more able to realize their power output potential than those in high water-stress areas.

Scarce Water Dries Up Revenue

There are practical and financial implications of power plants’ thirst. Between 2013 and 2016, India’s thermal plants failed to meet their daily electricity generation targets 61 percent of the time due to forced power plant outages. The reasons ranged from equipment failure to fuel shortages. Water shortages were the fifth-largest reason for all forced outages—the largest environmental reason.

In 2016 alone, water shortages cost India about 14 terawatt-hours of potential thermal power generation, canceling out more than 20 percent of the growth in the country’s total electricity generation from 2015.

The Way Forward

Quote

As India develops, water competition will continue to grow andclimate change will likely disruptpredictable water supply.Thermal utilities will become even more vulnerable to water shortages, power outages and lost revenue.

But there’s a better path forward: Upgrading cooling systems, improving plant efficiency, and ultimately shifting toward water-free renewables like solar photovoltaics and wind can all curb water risks to power generation.

It’s worth noting that the government of India already has plans in place that give reason for hope, such as the notification on power plant water withdrawal limits and the “40/60” renewable energy development plan. If these ambitious policies are enacted and enforced, our estimates show that India will save 12.4 billion cubic meters of freshwater from being withdrawn by power plants. That’s a year’s worth of showers for 120 million people – more than live in the Philippines.

But change won’t happen overnight. Even with proactive policies in place, the key lies in their implementation. In the coming years, the Indian government, utility companies and international investors all have a role to play in making the power sector more resilient to water risks.LEARN MORE: Read the full paper, Parched Power: WaterDemands, Risks andOpportunities for India's Power Plants

Agelbert NOTE: Thermal power plants are a ruinously polluting, as well as wasteful, way to generate electricity. The totally inexcusable massive waste of fresh water is just one more COST the fossil fuelers refuse to compute in their happy talk Energy Return on Energy Invested (ERoEI) baloney formulas. I'm glad that India is finally starting to realize that Renewable Energy sourced power (see below for water demand of Renewable versus Thermal) is the only sane way to generate electricity.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living organism in the world at 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) long. Coral reefs are important because they house about 25% of marine life. However, coral bleaching and other stressors, such as pollution and a very hungry starfish, have left the reef battered and at risk of dying completely. Consecutive bleaching events in the past two years haven’t given it any chance to recover.

Bleaching occurs when the water is too warm; the corals then expel their symbiotic algae, known as zooxanthellae. These algae supply the coral with food via photosynthesis and give them their color — so when they’re kicked out the coral turns white, or bleaches. The algae can return when the waters cool and the corals can then rebuild and recover in 15 to 25 years. Unfortunately, they haven’t had any chance to do so. The situation is so grim that the reefs and tourism associated with it could die by 2050.

The Australian government is trying a last-ditch effort to save its underwater monument. It is offering money to scientists with solutions. AUS$2.0 million (US$1.6 million) are on the table.

“The scale of the problem is big and big thinking is needed, but it’s important to remember that solutions can come from anywhere,” said Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg. “Solutions could focus on anything from reducing the exposure of corals to physical stressors, to boosting coral regeneration rates by cultivating reef-building coral larvae that attract other important marine species.”

Several proposals will be chosen for an initial testing round; it can last up to 6 months and use AUS$250,000. A further AUS$1 million will be made available to the best solutions, so applicants can develop and test their prototypes for up to 12 months.

Last year, researchers from Southern Cross University collected coral spawn and eggs. They grew them into larvae and then transplanted them into a damaged reef. Eight months later, the coral had survived and grown, suggesting that this approach could be viable in other reefs.

However, the truth of the matter is that global warming is the main problem that is threatening the reefs. There can perhaps be short-term solutions to bide time but the only long-term solution is to reduce CO2 emissions and curb the global temperature increases.

Agelbert NOTE: I do not think there is enough money in the entire world to slow, never mind stop or reverse, the biosphere damage that is already baked in for about a century.

Only a Capitalist (i.e. a Mammon worshipping fool) would entertain the wishful thinking that money can save the Great Barrier Reef. It's over; the fossil fuel industry killed it. Capitalism helped A LOT!

Across the heart of Puerto Rico runs the Cordillera Central, a staggering mountain range that bore the force of Hurricane Maria.

In small mountain towns like Las Marias and Maricao, many people rode out the storm with friends or relatives, and it took days to cut through fallen trees and dig through the mud to see what was left of their homes. There was no way to know what they would return home to: Some houses were missing a few roof panels; others were swallowed by eight feet of mud, strewn across the mountain, gone.

It is a tedious, twisting drive up these mountains, made longer by the bulldozers and army trucks struggling to clear the way. It has been months since Maria hit, long enough to answer the question that always follows devastation like this, which isn’t when life “will return to normal,” but instead what normal has become. Power and water will not return here for months, if not longer. In the meantime, many people are living with friends or relatives, drinking from streams, and struggling to repair the things Maria took.

But while it’s easy to be overwhelmed by what has been lost, the story of these communities is in what Maria left behind: the proud, determined people who are pulling together to rebuild their lives. Communities that are tighter. Families that are stronger. There are things in these mountains Maria could not take, and that’s why Mercy Corps is there—to help Puerto Rico’s people recover, and to build better, stronger lives.

I told RE this privately but I'll share it here. We have an old friend who goes to the BVI (Virgin Gorda) every spring, and this year she has invited us to stay with her there, end of March and early April. She just found out that the power was finally back up early last week. I hope we can go. Flights to STT are dirt cheap right now, but the ferries are still a mess. We might have to fly to San Juan and then fly to Spanish Town or Tortola, if we go. I am still trying to figure out a workable itinerary.

I told RE this privately but I'll share it here. We have an old friend who goes to the BVI (Virgin Gorda) every spring, and this year she has invited us to stay with her there, end of March and early April. She just found out that the power was finally back up early last week. I hope we can go. Flights to STT are dirt cheap right now, but the ferries are still a mess. We might have to fly to San Juan and then fly to Spanish Town or Tortola, if we go. I am still trying to figure out a workable itinerary.

If your destination is Tortola, why don't you just book a flight from San Juan to Beef Island? A long time ago I flew into Virgin Gorda in a light twin. It's a tiny airport and has a short runway. Beef Island airport has lots of room and is safe. Of course, I haven't been down there in many years. I'll check Google Earth and see what Virgin Gorda looks like now to see if it has changed.

It's the same short crappy strip that I landed on back in 1970. I guess you have to take a ferry from Beef Island if you want the most risk averse trip.

The approach to Virgin Gorda from the air really sucks. You cannot make a straight in approach because of the terrain. Also, the wind is almost always an easterly crosswind, which makes for a higher ground speed when you contact the runway from a circling left turining landing approach. But if you like excitement, go for it.

I think they are using BN2 aircraft out there just like they did in my day. The BN2 is a Britten Norman Islander. It is slow but extremely safe.

I was about to post this (below), but you already answered my question. Thank you.

I've never flown in to the BVI. Only arrived by ferry. Do you know if there are regular flights to Virgin Gorda from SJ?

Absolutely. It's old hat. The thing is that it was a Brittish outfit that did, and still does, the flying. I did a quick check and I see that American Airlines will book you from Dallas to Beef Island via San Juan. I guess you got used to going through STT. That is unnecessary.

Last Tuesday, the Daily Caller ran a story that accidentally admits that the site--and all the others like it--is fake news. The piece’s title alleges that Google’s fact check “Almost Exclusively Targets Conservative Sites.” But of course, as Salon’s Matthew Sheffield points out in his debunking of this attempt to paint Google as partisan, that’s because fake news leans hard to the right. As Sheffield explains, Google fact-checks many right-wing blogs because they’re full of fake news. That doesn’t mean Google’s fact-check is biased--it means it’s accurate.

Why are so many alt-right outlets so full of alt-facts? It might that have something to do with right-wing media being funded by overt partisans like the Kochs and Mercers. But what if those same forces are recognizing that their own echo chamber is only effective for those who have already bought in to their worldview, and that they must expand their influence beyond the bubble? If that were the case, then one would expect to see these funders working with more legitimate, mainstream journalism groups to find new audiences for their agendas.

And that’s exactly what they’re doing. Last Thursday, Christopher Cook of the Columbia Journalism Review wrote a piece on the controversy around the Koch Foundation’s 2017 grant to the American Society of News Editors (ANSE) for its journalist protection hotline and its support for a Poynter Institute project supporting college journalists.

Cook reports that many consider the grants an attempt by the Kochs to whitewash their image. He also focuses on the incredible irony of the Kochs supporting ANSE’s program dedicated to “protecting journalists from attacks” while employing strong-arm tactics against journalists who cover their shady practices. Jane Mayer, who wrote a book last year on the Koch’s weaponized philanthropy, told Cook that after her expose the Kochs so far as to hire “a private eye” whose “firm spent months and months trying to dig up dirt on [Mayer].”

That irony is rich, but Cook misses the Koch’s larger strategy. The Poynter Institute’s program funded by the Koch Foundation works to “provide training to student journalists,” who are given $3,000 “to spend on a reporting project or event that advances civil discourse on campus” in addition to an in-person training session and online courses.

This is the real game. The Kochs are not just using these grants as public relations fodder, as per Mayer and others’ criticisms described in Cook’s piece. What’s more likely is that this is part of Koch’s overarching strategy to just flat out buy the press. With this program, which started on 300 campuses across the country last semester, the Kochs are seeding a generation of reporters who see them as the philanthropists who helped start their career, not the creeps who hire private eyes to dig through a reporter’s garbage.

For a student reporter $3,000 is a lot of money at a very early stage in one’s career. The Kochs are making a bold attempt to buy a lifetime of goodwill for a month’s salary. What’s more, these grants are provided to fund stories that, as a Koch Foundation flack told Cook, explore “civic and economic liberties that allow people to prosper.” This money, then, is specifically earmarked in hopes of starting young reporters on a free-market-friendly career path.

Those who embrace the libertarian framing are likely encouraged to enter the Koch journalism pipeline, where they can intern at a Koch-funded group like Heritage, get trained further by Koch-funded “investigative news” producing Franklin Center, then move into one of the Koch’s own media properties, like Charles Koch Institute partner The Daily Caller.

Once at the Daily Caller, after a few years of Koch-brand fake news training, they’ll be ready to start writing about how fake news-busting fact checks are a big conspiracy.

The extreme right has a solid hold on the White House for the first time in decades and replacing Trump with another Clinton-type Democrat will only reinforce the forces that got Trump elected. Part 2 of our "Fire and Fury" book discussion with Doug Henwood

I was about to post this (below), but you already answered my question. Thank you.

I've never flown in to the BVI. Only arrived by ferry. Do you know if there are regular flights to Virgin Gorda from SJ?

Absolutely. It's old hat. The thing is that it was a Brittish outfit that did, and still does, the flying. I did a quick check and I see that American Airlines will book you from Dallas to Beef Island via San Juan. I guess you got used to going through STT. That is unnecessary.

This is what the Beef Island airport looks like. It is a MUCH safer airport than St. Thomas.

Thanks again AG. Looks like it costs an extra $400 apiece just to fly into Beef Island as opposed to STT. I'm still trying to find a ferry that runs on the day we need it, but unless service gets better all of a sudden, it's unlikely.

I was about to post this (below), but you already answered my question. Thank you.

I've never flown in to the BVI. Only arrived by ferry. Do you know if there are regular flights to Virgin Gorda from SJ?

Absolutely. It's old hat. The thing is that it was a Brittish outfit that did, and still does, the flying. I did a quick check and I see that American Airlines will book you from Dallas to Beef Island via San Juan. I guess you got used to going through STT. That is unnecessary.

This is what the Beef Island airport looks like. It is a MUCH safer airport than St. Thomas.

Thanks again AG. Looks like it costs an extra $400 apiece just to fly into Beef Island as opposed to STT. I'm still trying to find a ferry that runs on the day we need it, but unless service gets better all of a sudden, it's unlikely.

YIKES! An extra $400 EACH!!!? Well, that changes da picture quite a bit, if I do say so myself. I guess the only way you could shave that a bit is that the ferry from Beef Island to Virgin Gorda has to be a lot cheaper than the one from STT to Virgin Gorda (probably stops at Beef along the way, right?). Even so, I guess you need to stay with the STT route.

A Piper colt like the one I had way back when.

When I had my own little puddle jumper Piper Colt, I used to fly to STT to get some cancer sticks cheap and an assortment of liquors. My favorites were Mandarinetto, Amarreto di Saronno and that yellow one in the long bottle made from bananas. The Mandarinetto is very tasty and glows in UV light (my old man had a UV light above his bar to highlight florescent painted features on a beach mural on the wall behind that also produced a nice glow on some liquors ).

Enjoy your stay but watch out for the jellyfish. The warmer the oceans get, the better those pesky life forms do.

With solar PV installations in China expected to have reached 54 gigawatts in 2017, new figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance show that global clean energy investment totaled $333.5 billion last year, up 3% and the second highest annual figure ever, coinciding with impressive momentum in both Mexico and Australia.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) published its annual clean energy investment figures this week, and it was good news almost all around. The mammoth year China had in terms of solar PV installations — which are expected to come in at around 54 gigawatts (GW) when all is said and done — helped push global clean energy investments to its second highest level ever, $333.5 billion, which is only 7% short of 2015’s record $360.3 billion.

China unsurprisingly led the way with a record $132.6 billion worth of clean energy investment in 2017, accounting for 40% of the global total — $86.5 billion of which was spent on solar investments, making up just over half of the world total spent on solar in 2017.

“The 2017 total is all the more remarkable when you consider that capital costs for the leading technology — solar — continue to fall sharply,” explained Jon Moore, chief executive of BNEF. “Typical utility-scale PV systems were about 25% cheaper per megawatt last year than they were two years earlier.” In other words, the decrease in solar costs has been well and truly offset by a massive increase in solar spending.

“China installed about 20GW more solar capacity in 2017 than we forecast,” added Justin Wu, head of Asia-Pacific for BNEF. “This happened for two main reasons: first, despite a growing subsidy burden and worsening power curtailment, China’s regulators, under pressure from the industry, were slow to curb build of utility-scale projects outside allocated government quotas. Developers of these projects are assuming they will be allocated subsidy in future years.

“Second, the cost of solar continues to fall in China, and more projects are being deployed on rooftops, in industrial parks or at other distributed locales. These systems are not limited by the government quota. Large energy consumers in China are now installing solar panels to meet their own demand, with a minimal premium subsidy.”

The second largest clean energy investor in 2017 was the United States, which spent $56.9 billion, up only 1% on its 2016 total — which doesn’t seem like much progress, until you take into account the almost preternatural opposition to clean energy that has taken hold of the White House.

Australia wind farm

There were of course a number of countries leading the way, but two countries which deserve special attention are Mexico and Australia, which saw clean energy investment increase by 516% to $6.2 billion and 150% to $9 billion respectively, thanks in part to large wind and solar project financing.

Unfortunately, there were a few countries which also saw their levels fall in 2017. Japan saw investment drop by 16% in 2017 to $23.4 billion, Germany dropped 26% to $14.6 billion, and the UK’s level dropped by an unhealthy 56% to only $10.3 billion. When looked at as a whole, Europe’s clean energy investment dropped 26% to only $57.4 billion.

“2017 was a breakout year for the Australian Clean Energy sector,” said Leonard Quong, a Senior Analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance in Sydney. “Total investment in clean energy in Australia rose to a record $9 billion, smashing the previous record of $6.2 billion set in 2011. However 2017 will likely mark a peak — investment will begin to taper over the coming years unless there is a significant change in government policy.”

It is unsurprising that solar was the leading recipient of clean energy investment in 2017 with a total of $160.8 billion, or around 48% of the global clean energy investment total. Wind was the second biggest sector with $107.2 billion, down 12% on 2016 levels — a disappointment offset slightly by record-breaking project financing deals for both onshore and offshore. Specifically, American Electric Power backed the 2 GW (gigawatt) Oklahoma Wind Catcher project at $2.9 billion, while Ørsted reached final investment decision on the 1.4 GW Hornsea 2 project worth an estimated $4.8 billion.

The third biggest sector receiving clean energy investment was energy-smart technologies — such as smart meters and battery storage, energy efficiency and electric vehicles — which took in $48.8 billion in 2017, up 7%. However, the remaining sectors fell far behind with the next closest, biomass and waste-to-energy, down 36% to only $4.7 billion.

I was about to post this (below), but you already answered my question. Thank you.

I've never flown in to the BVI. Only arrived by ferry. Do you know if there are regular flights to Virgin Gorda from SJ?

Absolutely. It's old hat. The thing is that it was a Brittish outfit that did, and still does, the flying. I did a quick check and I see that American Airlines will book you from Dallas to Beef Island via San Juan. I guess you got used to going through STT. That is unnecessary.

This is what the Beef Island airport looks like. It is a MUCH safer airport than St. Thomas.

Thanks again AG. Looks like it costs an extra $400 apiece just to fly into Beef Island as opposed to STT. I'm still trying to find a ferry that runs on the day we need it, but unless service gets better all of a sudden, it's unlikely.

YIKES! An extra $400 EACH!!!? Well, that changes da picture quite a bit, if I do say so myself. I guess the only way you could shave that a bit is that the ferry from Beef Island to Virgin Gorda has to be a lot cheaper than the one from STT to Virgin Gorda (probably stops at Beef along the way, right?). Even so, I guess you need to stay with the STT route.

A Piper colt like the one I had way back when.

When I had my own little puddle jumper Piper Colt, I used to fly to STT to get some cancer sticks cheap and an assortment of liquors. My favorites were Mandarinetto, Amarreto di Saronno and that yellow one in the long bottle made from bananas. The Mandarinetto is very tasty and glows in UV light (my old man had a UV light above his bar to highlight florescent painted features on a beach mural on the wall behind that also produced a nice glow on some liquors ).

Enjoy your stay but watch out for the jellyfish. The warmer the oceans get, the better those pesky life forms do.

Nice Piper! I always liked Piper Cubs a lot. Nothing fancy. Just an airplane that doesn't burn much fuel and lands just about anywhere. I'm sorry I never got to learn to fly. I promised my wife. Four kids and all, you know. I even stopped riding motorcycles for over 20 years.

We experienced something last August that was new to me. The jellyfish hatch, when they're so small you can't really even see 'em yet...but you can definitely feel them. We both got a bit of a rash. I guess it's that time of year. And we had never snorkled the real "Atlantic side" of St. John (Kiddle and Grootpan Bays) I never had that happen on the north side.

I think we can arrive STT, spend the night and get a morning ferry to Tortola, at least. Looks doable. Maybe by then ferry service will be more normal and we can go straight from Charlotte Amalie to Spanish Town.

Did you ever know General Blair, the seaplane pilot who was married to Maureen O'Hara? I guess that was probably before your time.

I was about to post this (below), but you already answered my question. Thank you.

I've never flown in to the BVI. Only arrived by ferry. Do you know if there are regular flights to Virgin Gorda from SJ?

Absolutely. It's old hat. The thing is that it was a Brittish outfit that did, and still does, the flying. I did a quick check and I see that American Airlines will book you from Dallas to Beef Island via San Juan. I guess you got used to going through STT. That is unnecessary.

This is what the Beef Island airport looks like. It is a MUCH safer airport than St. Thomas.

Thanks again AG. Looks like it costs an extra $400 apiece just to fly into Beef Island as opposed to STT. I'm still trying to find a ferry that runs on the day we need it, but unless service gets better all of a sudden, it's unlikely.

YIKES! An extra $400 EACH!!!? Well, that changes da picture quite a bit, if I do say so myself. I guess the only way you could shave that a bit is that the ferry from Beef Island to Virgin Gorda has to be a lot cheaper than the one from STT to Virgin Gorda (probably stops at Beef along the way, right?). Even so, I guess you need to stay with the STT route.

A Piper colt like the one I had way back when.

When I had my own little puddle jumper Piper Colt, I used to fly to STT to get some cancer sticks cheap and an assortment of liquors. My favorites were Mandarinetto, Amarreto di Saronno and that yellow one in the long bottle made from bananas. The Mandarinetto is very tasty and glows in UV light (my old man had a UV light above his bar to highlight florescent painted features on a beach mural on the wall behind that also produced a nice glow on some liquors ).

Enjoy your stay but watch out for the jellyfish. The warmer the oceans get, the better those pesky life forms do.

Nice Piper! I always liked Piper Cubs a lot. Nothing fancy. Just an airplane that doesn't burn much fuel and lands just about anywhere. I'm sorry I never got to learn to fly. I promised my wife. Four kids and all, you know. I even stopped riding motorcycles for over 20 years.

We experienced something last August that was new to me. The jellyfish hatch, when they're so small you can't really even see 'em yet...but you can definitely feel them. We both got a bit of a rash. I guess it's that time of year. And we had never snorkled the real "Atlantic side" of St. John (Kiddle and Grootpan Bays) I never had that happen on the north side.

I think we can arrive STT, spend the night and get a morning ferry to Tortola, at least. Looks doable. Maybe by then ferry service will be more normal and we can go straight from Charlotte Amalie to Spanish Town.

Did you ever know General Blair, the seaplane pilot who was married to Maureen O'Hara? I guess that was probably before your time.

I actually rode with Blair on a 'fam trip' (ATC people got to ride free in the cockpit of lots of commercial aircraft with the "familiarization with cockpit procedures" excuse ) to STX (St. Croix) after a midnight shift. I did not know he was her husband until I read about it in the paper the next day. You see, we took off from Isla Grande airport seaplane launching area (you got in on the ground and the sea plane taxied into the water down a ramp) and took off in San Juan bay. I was in the right side enjoying all that water spraying around and observing how those water rudders work (I don't have a seaplane rating but I read ). We landed at STX in the water without incident.

Grumman Goose like the one I rode to STX

He made a nice water landing but I was not impressed with how mch sea water sprayed all over the windshield and the engines. Those planes are a corrosion nightmare for maintenance. I walked into town to buy some bottled booze. The plan was to get back for the next flight a few hours later after this flight round tripped back to Isa Grande and back to STX.

It turned out I had to wait a few more hours for another plane. The plane I rode on crashed on takeoff on a reef. The Goose seaplane gets on what is called "on the step" during takeoff. Since you are an experienced sailor, you know about hull speed on boats. Too high a hull speed will suck them into the water and possibly sink them. It happened in San Juan Bay. A U.S. Navy submarine was cruisng in and a guy yelled from his sailboat for a tow for some reason. They threw him a line, he secured it and his boat sunk shortly. LOL! Well, seaplane hulls have the same problem. So, they have to get as much of the plane out of the water as possible before they try to power them off. It's a weird hydrodynamics physics situation most people have trouble understanding. Water is really VERY sticky stuff!

Blair was a great pilot. He had flown with Pan Am and had thousands of hours of experience on the big ones. Apparently the tide was a tad lower than he expected and a reef where he usually took off was too close to the surface. When he got the Goose on the step, and almost at takeoff speed, the keel hit the reef just beneath the surface. It opened the belly like a can opener. There were injuries and at least one person died.

The FAA called it pilot error. I'm not sure but I think Blair retired after that. His efforts after the crashed takeoff made a bad situation less bad. He was a professional and he did his best to save his passengers. I think the FAA gave him a bum rap.

At the time of the accident, I was glad I just missed it. I learned about who Blair was when I read about it in the paper.

All this happened so long ago. I apologize for any errors in the details. I am writing from memory.

Oh, and I hear ya on the not flying thing. My life insurance would not cover me if I flew ultralights, so I did not fly them. After the 1988 divorce, I did fly them.

About the Piper Colt: That aircraft had the glide path of a rock and the climb rate of a dog. I had some real pucker factor experiences taking off from STT where I had to do the 'weave between the hills' maneuver. It is very turbulent and not fun at all.

On subsequent trips I ended up routinely asking for a downwind takeoff (heading west) just to avoid that hill. The tower didn't like it because it was against the traffic but I did like it because all I had to do was clear the water at the end of the runway. So, I would wait for a downwind takeoff slot.